Age Of Conan: Tale of the Dark Templar
by Lady Paper Wing
Summary: An epic story of a young girl, living the life of a Dark Templar, during the reign of King Conan himself. Take a journey through the eyes of a warrior, and see what it is like to live in the world of Conan.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Out of the few things I could remember, being a slave was one of them. I could remember the exact day when it happened. I was only 7 years old. I remember the way the air smelt in my home village of Conarch in Cimmeria. My mother had sent me out of the house to fetch Arrowroot flowers in the valley. As I reached down and gripped the stem of the purple flowers and began to pry them from the earth, I began to hear the rumble of trudging feet across the valley. It felt as fierce as an earthquake, and as deadly as a bull. I stood up and looked over the freshly blanketed hills of snow to see a large group of burly, tan men, carrying black iron chains. And the man who was leading them, was the man who doomed my life to tyranny and slavework for the years to come.

He was a pudgy man, with big round lips and black as night sky eyes. His head was wrapped in a turban, and his pelvis was covered with a dirty white loincloth. I was so young and so petrified, I watched the men in awe, march across the valley, like fire in a forest. As they neared, I began to step backward, ready to run back to the village if they happened to catch a glimpse of me. But I was too slow in my attempts to run. The fat man had seen me, and with a swift point of the finger, he ordered the men to capture me. Chains and shackles in hand, the men began to walk towards me. I turned around and ran as fast as I could. But I was so match for them. Before I knew it, I had heavy irons clamped around my hands and feet, and I was dragged through the snow, back to the pudgy man.

"Bow before Saddur, my new slave." The man said. His voice was rough, and clearly had a Stygian accent. I hesitated, so frightened and confused. No one had ever addressed like that before. He reached out for my hair and gave a sharp tug, pulling me close to his face. There he stared, eye to eye with me.

"When I order you to do something, slave, it means do it. Now tell me what your name is, before you further elevate my anger." Said Saddur. As he breathed, I could smell the rancid odor of rum on his breath. I was so scared, that for a moment, I had almost forgotten my own name. In a meek voice, I muttered, "Taurtha." He pushed me away, and with a single gesture, the men took me to Aquilonia, where they loaded me and hundreds of other men and women of all ages onto a large slave cargo ship.

Living on the slave ship was the worst thing I had endured at that age. There were elderly people being killed for not working hard enough, and then impaled on spears, and displayed on the docks of the boat, to warn people of the consequences of being lazy. And young children, such as myself, being whipped and thrown around as if we were rag dolls. As soon as we got to Stygia, we were all unloaded and put straight to hard labor. Us children mined in the Khopshef province mountains, while the older men and women were forced to carry goods to the cities without carts or wagons. We did this, under the stifling Stygian sun, until I was 14 years old.

I remember what they did to us, as soon as we got smart enough to runaway. They took got iron and branded us with Saddur's symbol, a pyramid with a serpent. They branded us, so that if we ever tried to run away and someone caught us, we would be sent back, only to be met by the stinger of death. By Crom, how many nights I had dreamt of being free. Being able to run through the Cimmerian vallies that I once played in as a young child. Picking flowers with my play friends, and helping my dear mother with cooking our supper. But those days were long gone. Forever lost, with the ocean waves.

Soon after the spring of my 14th birthday, my role as a slave had changed. I was no longer a miner, but replaced as a harlot for the slave owners. Saddur had never actually violated me, but had made attempts to kiss me and touch me in forbidden ways. Even though I was condemned to stuffing Saddur's fat face with sugar covered fruit and meats, I was treated slightly better than when I mined in the mountains. I slept on soft bedding and had the pleasure of being able to fan myself with palm leaves if I felt overheated, or eat the leftover fruits off of the serving trays. Nonetheless, I was a slave. And I would be beaten without reason, when Saddur would from back from the taverns, drunk and beligerant.

Little did I know, that my 15th year would be the end of my slave life, and the birth of a new life, as a free woman.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

The night sky cracked and boomed with angry storm clouds. The ship we were all on swayed side to side, colliding with the sea. The wood that held it all together creaked and bended against the power of the ocean waves. Below the deck smelt of rotton meat and vomit. There, a few harlots and I sat, dressed in silk gowns, feeding our slave owner's. I fluffed Saddur's pillow for him, thinking to myself, "_That fat son of a whore. If I could, I would rip his throat apart."_ Saddur layed his head down upon the pillow and opened his mouth, giving me the indication that he wanted me to feed him again. Giving him a fake smile, I picked up the serving tray and took a berry, placing it in his mouth. He grabbed my hand as I fed him, and smiled at me.

"Now, my little Taurtha. I have watched you grow from a ignorant child to a beautiful woman. I think it is about time to open yourself to me for once. After all, I am your master, I could command you to do so." Saddur said, toothily smiling at me. I smiled sweetly, but cringed on the inside. I would never in all my life give myself to him. Not even in his wildest dreams would he think I would lay myself down before him.

I set the tray down and stood up. I could feel the rumbling wood against my feet as I walked away from Saddur. I knew within minutes, Saddur would grab me and force himself upon me.

"Hello? Slave, I command you to lay yourself before me. Now come, before I clamp more irons on you and send you back to the Khopshef province. Would you rather have that?" Saddur said evily. I stopped in my tracks, even though it would not matter much for him to clamp irons on me. How would I ever escape? There was no where to go but endless miles of open ocean. I turned on my heel to look him in the eye. The other harlots stopped and watched as I stared straight through my master.

"I refuse to be your slave, Saddur. No longer will I feed your fat mouth." I said. I never felt such a strength come over me before. I was growing stronger and stronger, by each second that passed. Saddur raised an eye at me and stood up.

"How dare you use such a tone against me you daughter of a pig!" he walked swiftly over to me and pulled my hair, and gave me a kick in the back with his bare feet. I winced, but did my best to try and stand my ground. He kicked me again, harder this time, and I began to whimper. Soon enough, he started punching me with great force. As the pain grew deeper, my legs buckled underneath me, and I feel to the floor. My lips began to bleed and I felt my cheek scorched with bruises. I layed there, helpless on the floor, looking up at Saddur. All the strength that I had occupied in those short seconds, was gone in a flash. Never had I felt so beaten down.

"You are a slave. A worthless bitch. You will give yourself to me, whether you like it or not." Saddur said, grabbing my arm and pulling me close to him. I reach up and punched him hard in the face, leaving a large red mark on his saggy tan skin. He gasped looked down upon me in such shock. I had felt a burst of relief swelling up inside me. I had finally fought back my master, regardless of the consequences. Saddur growled venomously and pulled an arm back to strike me once again. Before he could, the most gut wrenching crash stopped him in his tracks. The boat shook violently, and within a few seconds, the air smelt of burning wood. The rest of the harlots screamed in horror. A lightning bolt had hit our ship, catching it on fire. Saddur threw me down to the floor and raced up on deck. I followed, to try and catch a glimpse of what was happening. I clambered up the latter to find nearly half of our ship was on fire. Screams of women and shouts of men could be heard everywhere. And the roar of the fire muffled out the crashing waves. A yellow-haired harlot, Zinnia, who I had only know for a short time, grabbed me and took me over to the right side of the ship.

"Taurtha! We must jump! It's our only hope of surviving!" she said, with tears streaking down her face, making her black eye makeup run. She gripped my arm tightly, to the point where it was painful.

"Are you insane?! We will drown!" I shouted. I looked around hurriedly, to see Saddur and the other slave owner's making desperate attempts to put out the fire, but it had consumed the ship.

"No! There is an island close to here! I will meet you there! Now jump!" said Zinnia as she turned to the ledge. She began to put one foot up on the ledge and stood up, trying her best not to fall over without me. "Come on Taurtha! Come on!" she yelled, still crying. I took her advice and put one foot up on the ledge. It was slick, and I almost slipped for a moment.

"Jump Taurtha!" she yelled. I hesitated, as I looked back upon the slowly sinking ship. "Taurtha! Jump! Or this ship will be your grave!" she yelled once more. "JUMP!" she dove into the water. I followed, making a less graceful dive, but successfully jumping in. The waves were violent and engulfed me as though the ocean was a mouth, swallowing everything in it's path. I could hear the ship burning and the people screaming, and still the shouting of Zinnia. But as the sea pulled me down, the sounds of the world outside became faint. I tried desperately to resurface, but the sea pulled me down. I could see statues of ancient ruins. I knew I was underwater with ancient ruins from the lost city of Atlantis. Soon, all consciousness left me. I was drowning. I knew it was the end for me, and my miserable life. And soon, nothing. I felt nothing. I heard nothing. I was nothing.

I gained consciousness with that seemed like only a few minutes. Not realizing that 9 hours had gone by without my knowing. I began to taste the brininess of the sea on my tongue. I began to hear footsteps crunching on the sand, coming closer to me.

"So then, your not quite dead…" a raspy voice spoke in a low tone. I open my eyes slowly and lifted my head to find myself looking at an old man with white hair and bright blue eyes, kneeling down looking straight at me.

"This is Tortage, the pirate haven, jewel of the Barachan isles. To the west is Atlantis, silent and dead under the open ocean. Eastwards lies Hyboria, where the worlds doom rises. But your life is ending, even as we speak." Said the old man. With any strength I could muster, raised myself onto my knees.

"The slave master from your vessel is seeking entrance to the city. But if he gets there before you and tells the guards that you were on a cargo ship of flesh, you will be left outside to rot in the jungle." Said the old man. I stood up and spit onto the sand to get the salt and sand out of my mouth. I brushed myself off and looked down to see that my once beautiful silk gown, was torn and soaked. I began to rip away at the fly away pieces, exposing my stomach and my legs.

"If you enter Tortage city, find the old seer Nadini. Tell her Kalanthes of Ibis sent you." He said, standing up again.

"Kalanthes? Of Ibis?" I slowly uttered, realizing how dry my throat was. I looked up at the sun. It was humid above all things. I was used to the dry heat of Stygia. But Tortage was like breathing smoke.

"Yes, now go. Find Saddur, the slavemaster. Buy your life with his death." He said. He bent down to pick up a shattered oar, and hand it to me. I took it, not fully understanding what he meant.

"His death?" I asked. But he said no more. He nodded solemnly and walked away, disappearing into the jungle. I stood there, holding the broken oar. I remembered Zinnia, and began to survey the beach for any sign that she had been washed up too. I began to call out her name, but there was no answer. There was nothing but shattered pieces of ship that lied on the beach, and a twisted jungle before me. At first, I had thought this was all just a dream. Or maybe I had passed on into the land of the gods. But all notion of that fell away from me when I heard the shrill scream of a woman in distress.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I peered into the dark jungle, catching a glimpse of a woman, calling for help. I stepped into the jungle and headed towards her.

"Someone help!" she screamed. As I got closer, I noticed that she must have been a noble woman from the city of Tortage. She wore a golden dress with a small dangling gold amulet around her neck. She was slender and quite beautiful. Her hair was white blond and was shoulder length. She finally caught sight of me and her eyes lit up with such excitement.

"Oh! A friendly face amongst so much ugliness." She exclaimed. She smiled with such delight.

"My god, what happened?" I questioned her in a raspy voice. My throat was still dry and crusted with sand.

"Free me, I beg you! Those brutes set upon me in a pack less than an hour ago. Then ran me down as I fled! Those animals!" she said. As she struggled, I noticed that she had her arms and legs sprawled out in each direction, tied to a tree.

"Brutes? Who did this to you?" I asked.

"A scavenger and his raiders. I do not know his name, but he is a petty captain of Tortage. He has made a truce with tyrant of Tortage, Strom, and his Red Hand Soldiers. I was captive by Strom and his minions. Then I ran away from Tortage, to find a home somewhere else. But now I flee from Tortage, only to find myself fleeing back." She said wearily. I reached up and tugged on the chains that bind her.

"How do I set you free?" I said, giving the chains one last tug.

"The scavenger is out on the beach, picking through the leftovers of the ship. He has the key. Please, hurry." She said. I immediately took the broken oar and walked out onto the beach. I spotted the scavenger who was a tall scraggly man with a long black beard. I gripped the broken oar, and did my best to sneak up on him, but the crunching sand beneath my feet didn't help. I stepped on a shell that cracked in two and made a horrible creak. The scavenger turned around and glanced at me,

"HEY! You there!" he said, pulling out a short jagged dagger. He charged towards me. I held with oar, ready for combat. Although it wasn't much of a fight, one swipe with the oar and the oar struck the scavenger's head, making a large dent in the side of his head. Blood spurted like a fountain from his head and splattered on me. At this point, I had not a care for any dirt that had been tracked on me. The scavenger fell to the ground with a loud thud. As soon as he fell, I began to search through his clothes, feeling for anything that resembled a key. I felt through his dirty shirt a pulled a large iron key out that was tied to a leather string around his neck. I pulled it over his head and ran back to the captured girl.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" she said. I forced the key into the lock, and twisted it until it clicked. The lock broke free and the chains fell to the ground. She sighed with relief and massaged her wrists.

"What is your name?" she said.

"Taurtha…" I said, watching her throw the chains off of her feet. I put the leather string necklace around my neck, figuring maybe I could use it for something later.

"I am Casilda. And I will thank the gods everyday for you coming to rescue me. " she said, smiling sweetly. "And when we get to the city, I will forever be in debt to you."

"Oh, no please don't. I don't want to have people acknowledging me for saving them." I said.

"But why would you not want that? Is it because you survived that slave ship accident?" she asked. I stopped, _Maybe she is the only one that knows. But if I take her to Tortage, would she dare tell the guards about me being a slave?_ I was wary at first, but I agreed to take her back to the city, even though I had no idea of where I was exactly or how to get to Tortage.

As we both began to venture deeper into the jungle, I realized that I didn't have a weapon at all. I wouldn't be able to fight off and beast or person that happened to come by with a splintering oar and wearing nothing but a torn gown. But luckily, for about a miles walk, there was nothing but dark humid jungle and the birds in the trees. I talked with her about this mysterious city, Tortage. Never in my life had I heard of such a place.

"It used to be a wonderful city. Plenty of opportunities to do a little deal here and there. And no it's nothing but a trash heap of pirates and Red Hand soldiers." She said, heaving from the humidity as we pushed away the bushes in the paths.

"Tell me more of these Red Hand guards. They seem like terrible people." I said, swatting at the mosquitos that swarmed at my arms and face.

"Oh they are. They don't care about anyone. Women are being mugged by pirates and all they do is stand there and laugh. It sickens me to the bone." She said. As we continued to walk, we spotted a large group of jungle apes. I had become starved within the few hours we walked. At that point, I wouldn't have minded eating a gorilla raw. But I set my hunger aside and walked past the apes, as though we weren't even there.

It had become mid-day, when they sun was unbearable. Sweat dripped from my forehead, and a small bit of sweat had built up on my upper lip. I was now starving for water and food. For one small moment, I had thought about turning Casilda into a feast, but I shook the thought of it quickly and told myself _I am not a barbarian._ Off in the distance, we began to see a stone structure, nearly 30 feet tall, with bars and spears sticking out in every direction. We moved towards it, hoping it was the gates to the city. As we approached, we began hearing coughing and wheezing, as though someone was in terrible agony. When we reached the gate, I stopped right in my tracks. My heart dropped into my stomach. I had never felt such hate and disappointment in my whole life.

Saddur stood within a few feet of me, with huge gashes and gushing wounds. He leaned over the stairs leading to the gates. Even though he was still alive, I felt a small bit of victory watching him suffer. He turned his head and looked straight at me and Casilda, and stood up instantly.

"YOU! You still live, slave!" he shouted, pointing his finger at me. "You will come to the city with me. And I will send you back to Stygia for a nice prophet."

"NO! I will no longer be controlled by you. You son of a bitch…" I said, sneering at him. My blood began to boil. I would not put up with being his slave anymore.

"Come now, before you anger me further. I'll clamp irons around your throat if I have to." Said Saddur. He looked at Casilda and smiled. "Ah, and another slave I can send back as well. You will make fine miners again."

"But I'm not a - -" Casilda tried to talk back, but I interrupted quickly.

"You leave her out of this. She isn't a slave." I said. I felt my skin begin to crawl with anger and excitement. I began to feel dark feelings, things I had never felt before. My back began to sting. "You look as though you've been attacked by a bear, you fat piece of filth."

He laughed, "It was no bear you fool! It was those damned Pict warriors, up the hill. They robbed me, and stole my passage back into the city. The bloody key is in the hands of those devils."

"You're a lying bastard." I said. "You have the key! And your trying to get to the city before me, just so you can leave me here to rot. But I will kill you now, to ensure my safe passage there."

"Ha! I would enjoy seeing you try!" he said. "Now come, Saddur can be a reasonable man. How about I take you to Tortage, and sell you there. Is that not fair, slave?"

I could no longer stand it. I lifted up the oar and charged at him instantly. He swiftly pulled his dagger from his sheath, but it was no match for my bulky broken oar. With one graceful swipe, I pounded his head, causing his bloody turban to unwravel. I batted him with several times more, causing his flesh to turn a deep purple and his wounds to rip open. I began to scream with delight as he fell to the ground, choking on his own blood. I thought for a minute that I had gone mad with blood lust. I heard Casilda gasp, and yell my name, begging me to stop. But nothing could stop me. I was vengeful. I was going to make sure that Saddur died painfully, for all the years he tortured me, for all the slaves her acquired, and for all the people that died because of him. I began to feel a dark aura around me. It was beautiful and evil at the same time. Large rays of red and purple darkness began to swirl within and around me. It was pure ecstasy. The aura had stopped, and I stared down at Saddur's bloody, beaten corpse. I looked back at Casilda, who gazed at me with mouth wide open in complete shock.

"You are a Dark Templar aren't you?" she said.

"A what?" I had no idea what she meant.

"A Dark Templar! Have you never heard of one? They are the guardians of the dark. The use their dark powers for good." She said. "Where did you learn such magic?"

I stood there, confused. I had never learned magic, or any fighting skills at all for that matter.

"Where are you from? Where did you learn such wonderful magic?" she asked. I opened my mouth, only to have nothing come out. I forgot. Forgotten everything that I once was. The only things I could remember was being a slave. I forgot my home land. I forgot my family. What had happened to me? Had I been completely raped of my memory? I was so confused and so unaware of what was happening to me. I began to hope I was dead, and that this was all just the empty thoughts inside my head.

"Taurtha? Are you alright?" she said, touching my shoulder gently. I nodded, still trying my best to remember where I came from. Was it Stygia? No it couldn't possibly be Stygia. I was lost inside my own mind.

I bent down and search through Saddur's clothes. The was absolutely no sign of a key.

"He wasn't lying. They did take it. It's not here." I said, sighing deeply. I picked up Saddur's schimitar, figuring I would definetly need it.

"No. There must be another way! We cannot go into a Pict camp! It's dangerous! We will be killed for sure!" she said. "Picts are the lesser men of the world. They kill anyone that is not of their own clan."

"Casilda, we have to. It's the only way into the city." I said, standing up continuing to walk down the path to the Pict camp. Casilda followed ofcourse, groaning not just of hunger, but the fact that this place could be the end of us. There were two pict men that stood within a few feet of us, both brown, with white war paint covering their faces, and strange splintered bones that pierced through the cartilage of their noses. I had heard of the most inhuman men before, and these must have been them. I charged towards them, stabbing both of them furiously. I began to feel the ecstasy run through my veins again. I was obsessed with blood lust now. I wanted to kill these bastards. Every pictish man I killed, I searched for a key. But no luck, until I had reached the end of the path, where a large black monster, with rotten teeth 6 inches and nearly 15 feet tall, had inhabited a temple of ruins. It was sprawled out onto the stone floors, with it's tongue, as if it was asleep. My jaw dropped instantly, and I could hear Casilda gasp behind me. What was this beast? Was this the thing that had attacked Saddur and stolen the key?

There was only one way to find out. I slowly walked up the beast, wondering if it really was asleep. I pushed it with my foot slightly. I could smell the beast's horrible stench. It smelt of burning wood and dead flesh. I got closer, figuring that this was an easy task to kill a monster in it's sleep. I steadied my arm over the beast's head, and as I was ready to plunge the schimitar in, the black monster had opened it's beady yellow eyes and took one glance at me. My heart dropped instantly, thinking that it was the end. The beast stood up at spider-like speed and snarled at me. I readied myself, holding the schimitar tightly. I charged towards it, but it kicked me nearly 6 feet back with it's hind legs. I stood up again and went for the beast. Now he made me angry.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Casilda began to throw rocks that the beast. One had bounced off of it's pelvis, the other thwacking it in the face. I began to feel the dark aura surround me again. I gave a loud yell and charged towards the monster. Nothing could stop me now. I thrusted the schimitar within the beast's gut and pulled down as hard as I could, exposing the monster's internal organs. The beast screamed in pure agony as it's black blood showered my face. Pulling the schimitar out quickly, I backed up, letting the monstar fall to the ground in it's own puddle of blood and organs. I noticed a glimmering object, dangling from the beast's black hand. It was the key to Tortage gates. I smiled as I wretched open it's hand and took the key. I turned to Casilda who had an array of awe, fear, and victory spread across her face.

"Shall we open the gates?"


	4. Chapter 4

After the long painful hours of bashing Pict skulls and slaying dark monsters, we reached the gate to Tortage

After the long painful hours of bashing Pict skulls and slaying dark monsters, we reached the gate to Tortage. There at the tall iron barred gates, I had felt small chills run down my spine. Something about Tortage intimidated me. I reached up the keyhole and slid the key in, and twisted it til the lock clicked. Casilda and I pushed the gate upward and stepped onto the dirt path road, leading down to a small creek, and the gates into the city. I started to walk, but as I did, Casilda did not follow. I turned around and looked at her. She looked worried and scared.

"It is almost unbearable to think that I come back here to use as a hideout. I have little coin, and no connections at all. But somehow I will make it through." She said, giving a solemn smile. "You fight with such great skill. And I know that someday, everyone will know you as a great warrior. But please be careful in Tortage. People here do not fool around. The Red Hand guards will tear you to shreds if they found out who you are. So please, be wary if you want to see another sunrise."

I nodded. A rush of anxiety came over me. What kind of ruffians lived in this city? I knew that there was only one way to find out, and that was to venture into the forsaken city. Casilda and I ran to the gates. She ran in, and disappeared into a tavern on the left. Unfortunately for me, a man with black as night armor, bearing a Red Hand on his chest, stopped me in my tracks.

"Oh no ya don't! Strom doesn't allow your kind in Tortage!" he said, standing in my way.

"But I'm just trying to get into the city." I said, looking up at him. I could tell that he had never been in a fight ever. His face was clean, and he bore no scars. He was too clean for a true warrior.

"Are ya deaf, lass? I said we don't allow slaves! Now go and do the world a favor and slit your throat. It'll be better for ya." He said nothing more and shut the gates right in front of my face. I pounded on the iron gate in frustration. How did he know I was a slave?

"So, your looking to get into the city?" a man to the right of me said. He was tall and very tan. He had a thick Stygian accent. I looked at him and nodded.

"Do you think you could let me in?" I asked him.

"No. Sorry. You were a slaves irons. According to Strom, you are not welcome here." He said. I looked down at my wrists. I wasn't sure how I did not realize it before. I had two large iron clasps on both of my wrists, with a small bit of broken chain dangling from it. I sighed in frustration. The day couldn't have gotten any worse.

"Hmmm…" he stood there, pursing his lips. "I know you could break those irons, maybe with a hammer or a decent weapon. Which I see you have neither. But I know someone who might be able to help you."

My heart leaped. "Who?" I asked.

"A smithy, not too far down the road named Turach. He's got a good hammer, I'm sure he'll break your irons for you." He said. I nodded again, feeling my heart pounding in my chest with excitement. My spirits had never been higher.

"What is your name?" I asked.

"Laranga, son of Chunga. I was born in Stygia, brought up here by my mother." He said proudly. I nodded, and turning to the road before me.

"I'll be back!" I yelled as I walked down the dirt path road to a bald man, much larger than Laranga. His muscles were taught and bulging and he had many scars. He must have been threw many great battles. He hammered away at a bolt placed onto a granite block, connected to what looked like a small wall. I walked up to him slowly, for he was also quite intimidating.

"Excuse me, sir." I said. He turned and looked at me with fatigue in his eyes. He pulled out a dirty handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"What do ya want?" he said gruffly. He instantly looked down at my shackles and laughed. "Well you look you've been in a bit o' trouble."

"I need these shackles taken off. The guard Laranga told me you'd be able to help me?" I asked. I felt like a mouse compared to him. He shoved his handkerchief back down into his pocket and looked at me. I knew I looked terrible. The gown that was once beautiful, was now shredded and caked with dirt and blood. And my black hair was twisted and matted into knots.

"Listen, kid. I've got a job to do. Ya see that lava down there?" he said, pointing down to a creek of red-hot lava. I hadn't realized that this city sat at the base of a monstrous volcano. I looked up and saw the opening of the volcano, wreathed in boiling rock. I looked back at him and nodded.

"Well if I don't get this son of a bitch dam fixed, we'll all be drowning in lava." He said. "So get outta here, kid." He leaned back down to his work. I walked away, sighing in disbelief. How the hell was I supposed to get in now?

"Hey." Turach said. I turned back around and looked at him. "I could actually use a bit o' help. Come 'ere." I walked over to him again and listened.

"There's a quarry about a short walk from here. I'm runnin' low on stone bricks. So go get a few, maybe 3 or 4. Come back, and I'll break your chains. But be careful, there's cutthroats along the road there." He said, pulling out a silver sword. "It's been mine through many battles. Use it. Now go get them bricks." He gave me a small shove and I began to walk off to the quarry, his sword in hand. On the way, I looked up at the sky. It was almost sunset. I thought about the day I had gone through. Just hours ago, I was cutting off Pict heads, and fighting horrible ancient creatures. And killing the very man that destroyed my life years ago. For some reason, I smiled. Not the fact of killing Saddur made me happy, but knowing that I had a small chance of finding a new life. I thought that I could sail back to wherever I came from, if I ever could remember.

I spotted two men; both wearing stained and ripped clothing, holding small daggers. I knew they were the pirate cutthroats Turach mentioned. I took a deep breath. I had killed many men before, I could do it again. I rose up my arms, still holding the sword, and feeling myself being engulfed by dark fumes of purple and black again. With the aura still whirling around me, I gave a loud cry and charged towards the two pirates. They yelped slightly, out of fear and confusion. I quickly stabbed one of them in the gut, but the other one didn't give up without a fight. He launched himself at me, extended his left arm with his dagger and almost piercing it through my hip. I jumped back, and swung my sword at him, leaving a giant gash through his chest. As blood drained from him, I continued my way up the path to the quarry, leaving them both dead on the ground.

"Hey! Ya scurvy bitch! Come here and fight us!" said another pirate popping out from behind a tree. Two others appeared from behind the bushes. And then three more came from the other side of the creek. I stood, my heart pounding, with Turach's blade at the ready. They began to close in, surrounding me. I swung the sword above my head, slicing one of the pirates' heads off, and cutting one of the pirate's eyes open. I had thought in the instant I would be over, and Turach would never see me come back with his stone bricks. But surely enough, swinging that beautiful blade of his, killed all the pirates that had surrounded me. I ran to the quarry, hoping I could avoid any other cutthroat bastard. I managed to pick up 2 stone bricks, but after the 3rd brick, it began to get heavy. I held the 3 stone bricks close to me, and pushed the 4th one slowly with my foot all the way back to Turach.

As soon as I got there, Turach laughed at me as I kicked the stone bricks to him. "By Crom! Ya must be weaker than a bleedin' pig! I could carry 6 of those bricks on each of my shoulders and nearly 5 on my head!" he chuckled.

"Haha…I'm sure you'd think it's funny as hell to be attacked by pirates too?" I said, dropping the bricks to the ground.

"Don't do that! Ya might crack 'em!" He said, picking up two of the bricks and inspecting. "Good lass. Well, come 'ere and I'll look at those shackles of yours." I went over to him and held out my wrists. He twisted the black irons shackles around my wrists, shaking his head.

"That's piss poor Stygian work, as usual. Damn Stygian smithies. They don't know anything about good blacksmithing." He let go of my arms and grabbed his hammer. "Let's do this quick before the red hands find out what we're up to. No put your arms on the stone brick and turn your face away." I put the sword down on the ground and leaned down and put my wrists on to the stone brick and turned my head to the side. I heard him grunt slightly and pound the huge hammer onto the shackles, busting them open, with shards of iron flying in every direction.

I stood up, and massaged my wrists and rubbed away the band of sweat that had built up from the shackles. It was hard to remember a time when I didn't where shackles. I looked Turach and smiled.

"Thank you, so much!" I said, picking up his blade. Turach gave a happy grunt.

"Ehh it was no problem at all. Just remember to not say anythin' about ya bein' a slave and you'll be fine. Now run along. I need to finish this dam." He said, turning to the stone bricks, and lifting them up onto the small wall he had built up.

"Wait, don't you want this back?" I said, offering him the blade. He didn't turn, just continued talking to me.

"Eh, keep it. You'll need it more than I do right now." He said.

"Once again, thank you so much." I said. He probably didn't hear or just chose to ignore me, for he didn't assure me at all. For once in my life, I had felt free. Nothing holding me back. Nothing to stand in my way. I was no longer anyone's slave. I was Taurtha.

I ran to the gates again to meet Laranga. A small smile had crept on to his face. He knew I had worked hard to get rid of those damned shackles. Two other guards stood nearby, one was a tall pale man with long red hair. And the other, a shorter woman, with thick black hair tied into a bun. She was so thin and sickly, she looked as though she was dead. They both wore black leather armor, with a red hand printed on their breasts. These were also Red Hand soldiers.

"What have we got here?" he said, looking down at my shackle-less hands. "Why how rare! You look as though you are slave. But I see no shackles on your feet or hands, so you couldn't be a slave!" He winked at me, knowing that the two guards were watching him. "Is there anything I can do for thee?"

I smiled. "I would like to go into Tortage please." I said. I almost felt like laughing. I glanced over at the guards. The woman with black hair sneered at me.

"Why ofcourse!" Laranga stood aside and yanked on a rope that rung a small bell. The gates rattled and shook as they opened. "Could you do one thing for me, since I did something for you?" he whispered as he pulled out a small scroll. "Give this to the barmaid, Tina, for me, at the Thirsty Dog Inn." I nodded and took the scroll and walked into the city quickly.

"Thank you!" I shouted back to him and clutched the scroll. The two other guards had followed me into the city. The woman with black hair grabbed my shoulder and swung me around to come face to face with her.

"I'm watching you, dog. You're a slave and I know it. I could turn you in right now if I wanted to." She said.

"What are you talking about? I am no slave." I said, playing the stupid game with her. She glared at me with hate in her eyes.

"Don't play with me, slave. If you think Laranga's charity will keep you safe inside the city, you are dead wrong. Now get out of my sight, slave." She said, shoving me and walking away with the other. I glared back at her, reaching for the blade Turach gave me, but resisting from getting into any trouble. I turned and looked for The Thirsty Dog Inn. I noticed a wooden building, with a swinging sign of a black down and a pint of beer. I reckoned this was where I was looking for.

I walked into the dark Inn, finding only to see a slightly empty bar. There was only 3 people sitting and drinking at two tables. A few others had passed out onto the floor. I stepped over two sleeping dogs and broken ale mugs. There was a small counter, with a girl, no older than me with shiny brown hair and pale skin and a steel plated armor dress. Across the counter from her, was a much older man, not elderly, but looked as though he had also gone through many rough battles. He had large and muscular with bright red hair, and a short beard. They both sat there conversing while the man cleaned a mug with a rag. They turned to look at me as I walked closer to them.

"Oh, hello there." Said the girl, smiling brightly. She stood up and went over to the giant keg in the corner of the bar. "Would you like a bit of ale, young lady?" She grabbed a mug and squeezed out a small bit of the beer that came from the keg.

I didn't feel much like drinking anything, mostly because I was still young and had never drank ale before. But because I was nervous, and my eyelids were heavy with exhaustion. I took the mug of ale anyways and took a sip. It was bitter, but nice and cold, and satisfied my tongue after the many hours of nothing to drink or eat.

"Are you Tina?" I asked. She nodded sweetly, still smiling at me.

"I have something for you, from a guard named Laranga." I held out the scroll to her.

"Oh, really?" she said, looking happily surprised. She took the scroll and read it. Small specks of red rushed into her cheeks. "Oh, he's so charming." She rolled the scroll back up again and put it into her pocket. I sat down at the bar with them.

"You look as though a hurricane spit you out." Tina asked, looking at the red-haired man, then back at me.

"Oh, well, yes. I'm sorry I don't look proper right now." I said, taking another sip.

"Oh no matter. I could let you borrow some armor of mine. That should keep you looking well enough around the city for awhile." She said, looking down at my torn gown.

"Where do ya come from?" said the red-haired man. I didn't know what to say at first. I wasn't sure if I wanted to lie to these people or tell them what had actually happened to me.

"I—I had to travel from Aquilonia." I asked, looking down. He stared right through me. It felt like he knew everything that was going through my head.

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow. "Ya don't look Aquilonian. Ya look Cimmerian to me."

"Oh, uh—just a funny genetic coincidence I guess." I said, giving a fake smile. My head felt to weary. I was so tired and hungry.

"I heard that there was a slave runnin' through the wilderness too. Comin' to Tortage from a ship accident." He said, staring at me. His eyes stung me. He knew exactly who I was.

"Yeah. They say the slave came from a Stygian work camp." Said Tina. I got nervous. I stood up and put the mug down.

"I should go." I said.

"Oh ain't that a shame, Tina? The little lass don't want to stay. So tell, me **Taurtha**. What brings you to Tortage?"

I stopped in my tracks instantly, as though an arrow shot right through me.


End file.
